St. Louis Blues Robert Bortuzzo Suspension Thins Defensive Ranks

The St. Louis Blues are going to be without Robert Bortuzzo for three games. While only one of those games will be during the regular season, the suspension will test the defensive depth of the team.

The St. Louis Blues thought their preseason game with the Washington Capitals on September 26 ended with just the disappointment of a loss. They turned out to be very wrong as the league saw more wrong with a certain event in the game than the officials did.

The NHL ended up suspending Robert Bortuzzo for the final two preseason games and the first game of the regular season for an elbow on Michal Kempny. The odd thing was the hit was not penalized in the game, though it seemed a bit late. However, the league felt it was harsh enough to suspend him.

Perhaps it was turnabout is fair play. The Capitals had Tom Wilson suspended for a similar amount last preseason following a game against the Blues for an illegal hit. It is odd that two nonconference teams seem to have such ill will in the preseason.

Nevertheless, we can argue the legitimacy of the suspension, but the bottom line is that Bortuzzo is out. That is going to test the depth of this team very early in the season.

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The Blues went through a thinning of their defense in 2017-18, due to injuries, and we found out they were not quite as deep as we all thought. While both players are much maligned, the loss of Jay Bouwmeester and Carl Gunnarsson for large quantities of the year proved too much to overcome. There is a possibility that the loss of Bortuzzo, even for only one game throws a slight wrench into plans.

St. Louis already knew it was going to have an extra defenseman up at the start of the year. Though he is skating, Gunnarsson is not yet ready to play in games. That presented an extra roster spot to a younger player already. Now, knowing the team will not have Bortz to open the year makes the competition even more fierce.

Jake Walman continues to show that he could be the next version of Kevin Shattenkirk with his superb offensive game. However, also like Shattenkirk, he can be a defensive liability and needs to keep focusing on that part of his game. The AHL seems a better place to do that, but if we are only talking about an extra or third line D-man, perhaps he can fit the bill.

Surprising in the fact that he has stayed with the big club through two rounds of cuts is Niko Mikkola. Mikkola just signed an entry level deal with the team in May, assuring he would stay in North America instead of returning to the Finnish League where he has played since St. Louis drafted him in 2015.

Mikkola has been a nice surprise. He does not wow you with flashy offensive moves, but he can move the puck well enough and plays a solid defensive game. If the Blues feel he is ready for the NHL, he might stay up for a little longer since he fits the Bortuzzo mold more than Walman might.

As mentioned, this is only for one real game, so it should not be that big a deal. However, it puts undue pressure where it did not need to exist. Bouwmeester is still easing himself back in, though he seems to be ready for opening day. Gunnarsson might push himself too hard in an attempt to be ready earlier. The rookies could push too hard to make that last spot and actually play worse by trying to play outside themselves.

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Or, nothing could happen and we won’t notice a difference at all. Overall, I don’t have a major issue with the suspension. I do not believe it was a dirty hit, but the arm came up high and Kempny was on the ice for an extended time. It just stinks to mess with any continuity the Blues were building toward and, now, won’t achieve for the very first game.

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